Topic: Solved -PJ292- Grant Wickington's home built car

[Allemano]

Grant Wickington's home built car.

[Allemano]

and his "Guinea Pig"

[Paul Jaray]

Precisely.
You'll find it in few seconds, now.

Less than 300...
That's the car (and the Hovercraft too!)

[katta]

Hmmm, i like the pictures..where'd ya get them from?  This man is my Grandad - i'v just been showing him the pictures....he said his car was called 'Babe'-lol!!! He had that car for many years, he only built it cos my mam was born and his motorbike was safe enough for a baby.  It had an American twin motorcycle engine and ran a treat!! 

[Paul Jaray]

Hi Katta,
welcome to Autopuzzles.
I took these pics from flickr (Autopuzzles' policy is against links in the solved section, but I can PM you if you like), from the album of someone under the name of Adam Neale.
Are there any other info or pictures about this car?
thanks,
PJ

[woodinsight]

Hi Katta & PJ,

I have some more information on this car -

The builder's name was Grantham Wickington and he named his car the "GW Special".
He worked for the Folland Aircraft Co. at the time and made the aluminium bodywork from material salvaged from the company's scrapyard.
The rounded sections he shaped using a leather sandbag.

The chassis was made up from parts of a BSA frame.
Front axle from an Austin Seven and the engine was a 750cc Harley-Davidson.
Wheel discs were fabricated from old dustbin lids (without the handles).

The GW Special was completed in the latter half of 1950.

I'll post another photo I found of the car separately.

[woodinsight]

Here is another photo I found of the GW Special -
Apologies for the quality but it was copied from a very small and dark image.

[woodinsight]

As a footnote, I found a reader's letter in a magazine dated 1988 from Grantham Wickington that states he used the car for two or more years before selling it to a new owner. This new owner apparently ran the car for several years before passing it on.
Last heard of in a scrapyard in Warsash, Hampshire.
Grantham Wickington says he built three boats and four hovercraft (he was a founder member of the Hoverclub of Great Britain).
Later he was flying his own design microlight aircraft.
At the time he wrote this in 1988 he was in his 70s and living in Hamble, Hampshire.

[Paul Jaray]

Thank you for these extra info!